Caution:Hard HatsRequired
New Initiatives KeepSafety Front and Center
By Diane M. Calabrese
Doing the job the right way isn’t just aboutdelivering top-quality electrical, communications,and power services to customers. It’salso about ensuring employees have the skillsand know-how to complete projects safely.That’s why Parsons Electric builds a strongcommitment to safety into everything it does. 
"You have to teach employees that they’re responsible for their own safety and the safety of everyone else around them,” explains Bill Olson, Safety Director at Parsons. “With more than 75 years of electrical related experience in commercial and industrial construction, our field supervisors are strengthening Parsons’ dedication to following industry safe practices by using common sense approaches to safety issues.”
This comprehensive approach to promoting safety takes several forms. Training is the most important initiative to ensure everyone on the job is aware of safety rules and regulations as well as the impact accidents and injuries have on employees and the company.
In February 2005, Parsons had more than 160 foremen and general foremen trained on the updated safety manual and reviewed the new arc flash protection rules of NFPA 70E. In addition, the company is working closely with local unions to encourage all employees to attend the OSHA 10-hour safety class to assist in hazard recognition.
Weekly safety meetings and jobsite safety inspections also help foremen and employees maintain a sharp focus on safe work procedures as well as recognize and eliminate safety hazards. With Parsons’ larger construction projects, daily safety meetings keep everyone alert to potential problems.
“We remind everybody that if they see something on the job that’s potentially unsafe, they should stop what they are doing and discuss the safety issue with their foremen,” Olson says. “We’re working toward getting our workers trained in safety before they ever get to the field.”
Parsons will soon expand its safety initiatives with a comprehensive safety orientation program, which will discuss in-depth issues such as hazard communication, electrical safety, fall protection, and personal protective equipment.
The desire to improve safety continuously is shared by Parsons’ field employees and management. The safety director visits jobsites to help employees find ways to improve safety. Often, the best suggestions come from worker feedback. Parsons’ labor/management safety committee is another important area where company safety policies are reviewed and safety issues discussed. Olson works with employees to craft creative solutions to thorny safety issues.
These safety training sessions, labor/management safety committees, and collaborative solutions in the field are proving extremely effective in taking safety preparation at Parsons to a higher level.
